“Remember that this seven-day festival to the Lord—the Festival of Shelters—begins on the fifteenth day of the appointed month,after you have harvested all the produce of the land. The first day and the eighth day of the festival will be days of complete rest. On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees—palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days. You must observe this festival to the Lord for seven days every year. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed in the appointed month from generation to generation. For seven days you must live outside in little shelters. All native-born Israelites must live in shelters. This will remind each new generation of Israelites that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I rescued them from the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 23:39-43
This week in school, we are celebrating Sukkot, the Feast of Booths. Sukkot is a dual celebration, both commemorating the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the desert, and celebrating the gathering of crops at harvest time. Last week, we built our sukkah. The sukkah is a reminder of the huts, or booths, that the Israelites lived in while in exile. We should be eating some meals there, but it has been terribly hot and humid, so I’m waiting to have our meal on the last day, this Friday. 
Building the sukkah out of pallets (free!) and zip ties. It won’t pass any inspections, but it should hold up until our celebration is over. I’m not handy, but I am resourceful. 
Using banana tree leaves for the roof
